ethical issue patient does not want to report information to doctors

Do doctors have an ethical obligation to report unethical conduct?

The obligation to report incompetent or unethical conduct that may put patients at risk is recognized in both the ethical standards of the profession and in law and physicians should be able to report such conduct without fear or loss of favor.

What happens if you report an ethical dilemma in nursing?

Nurses who report on ethical dilemmas nursing problems, especially those having to do with fellow healthcare professional’s negligence, incompetence, or malfeasance can easily lead to being ostracized, labeled as a “rat” by peers, and even retribution by administrators and supervisors.

Can a doctor disclose patient information in conversation?

In this case, the patient’s private information was disclosed in conversation, but physicians must also protect documented patient information whether contained in paper charts or electronic health records.

How do I report a physician who does not have hospital privileges?

This should include notifying the peer review body of the hospital, or the local or state medical society when the physician of concern does not have hospital privileges.

Is it ethical to withhold information from a patient?

Except in emergency situations in which a patient is incapable of making an informed decision, withholding information without the patient's knowledge or consent is ethically unacceptable.

What would you do if your patient chooses not to disclose important information?

Responding to Requests for Non-Disclosure of Medical InformationStay Calm. ... Try to understand the family's viewpoint. ... Clarify what the patient already knows. ... Respond empathically. ... State your views openly, but as your own views. ... Be willing to brainstorm possible solutions. ... Negotiate a solution.

What are the top 5 ethical issues in healthcare?

Five Top Ethical Issues in HealthcareBalancing Care Quality and Efficiency. ... Improving Access to Care. ... Building and Sustaining the Healthcare Workforce of the Future. ... Addressing End-of Life Issues. ... Allocating Limited Medications and Donor Organs.

Why is withholding information unethical?

information that might lead to undue stigmatization of individuals or groups within society, and. information that, if released, might lead to behaviors that would result in increased spread of disease.

Why do patients withhold information from doctors?

The most common reasons for nondisclosure included not wanting to be judged or lectured, not wanting to hear how harmful a particular behavior is, and being embarrassed. In both groups, women, younger participants and those who rated their own health as poor were more likely to say they withheld information.

Can a patient withhold information from a doctor?

“The therapeutic privilege permits physicians to tailor (and even withhold) information when, but only when, its disclosure would so upset a patient that he or she could not rationally engage in a conversation about therapeutic options and consequences”.

What ethical issues must be considered when managing information in the healthcare setting?

5 Ethical Issues in Healthcare ManagementPatient Confidentiality. Information about a patient's medical condition is considered private. ... Patient Relationships. ... Malpractice And Negligence. ... Informed Consent. ... Issues Related To Physician Assisted Suicide (PAD)

What are the 8 ethical issues related to healthcare?

The major 10 ethical issues, as perceived by the participants in order of their importance, were: (1) Patients' Rights, (2) Equity of resources, (3) Confidentiality of the patients, (4) Patient Safety, (5) Conflict of Interests, (6) Ethics of privatization, (7) Informed Consent, (8) Dealing with the opposite sex, (9) ...

What are some of the ethical and legal issues related to patient sensitive health information?

[8] There are four major ethical priorities for EHRS: Privacy and confidentiality, security breaches, system implementation, and data inaccuracies.

Is it ever appropriate to withhold negative information from the client?

Is it ever appropriate to withhold negative information from the client? The answer is, it depends. Potential problems with production, delivery, and maintenance arise all the time. Most of these problems are solved without any customer impact.

What is intentionally withholding information?

When we deliberately withhold or conceal information from each other, we are doing something called “knowledge hiding,” an action that can take several different forms.

What does it mean to withhold information deliberately?

The meaning of the verb is "be deliberately ambiguous or unclear in order to mislead or withhold information".

What are the ethical principles involved in the Hippocratic Oath?

The key ethical principles involved in this case are justice and nonmaleficence. Justice calls for all patients to be treated fairly and to be able to expect that their private medical information will be held in confidence. A breach of patient confidentiality goes against a physician’s pledge in the Hippocratic Oath that “what I may see or hear in the course of treatment or even outside of treatment in regard to the life of patients, which on no account must be spread abroad, I will keep to myself, holding such things as reprehensible to speak about.” 1 In order to be treated, patients tell physicians intimate things about their bodies and their lives. To establish and sustain the trust that allows patients to impart these intimacies, physicians must “take extreme care to protect that information from discovery by third parties.” 2 When confidentiality is violated, the patient is harmed (maleficence) as is the physician-patient relationship.

How to maintain patient confidentiality?

Work with others in your practice or facility to develop and implement a policy for maintaining patient confidentiality. All physicians and staff should be trained about, should understand and should follow the privacy policy.

What is vicarious liability?

Under the legal concept of vicarious liability, the physician employer can be held responsible for the acts of an employee that are committed in the course of employment. Thus, even though in this case it was the medical assistant who gossiped about the patient’s evaluation for an STD, both the medical assistant and the physician were liable. In this case, the patient’s private information was disclosed in conversation, but physicians must also protect documented patient information whether contained in paper charts or electronic health records. National and state privacy laws, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH), are legal mandates that correlate with the ethical duty of confidentiality.

How often should staff members undergo confidentiality training?

Consider having staff members undergo yearly confidentiality training and asking them to sign a confidentiality agreement each time they complete the training.

What are the principles of ethics?

Four Basic Principles of Medical Ethics 3 1 Beneficence — acting for the patient’s good 2 Nonmaleficence — doing no harm 3 Autonomy — recognizing the patient’s values and choices 4 Justice — treating patients fairly

Can medical information be leaked?

However, sometimes confidential medical information is leaked inadvertently when physicians or other healthcare providers carelessly discuss clinical matters in public places such as on elevators or in hospital snack bars. Unless given permission to talk about or release personal patient information, physicians and staff members should protect patients’ confidentiality by keeping such information private.

What is an online MBA in healthcare management?

The rapid growth of the medical industry in the United States has created an increasing demand for skilled clinical leaders who understand the complexity and challenges of health systems, practices and ethical issues. An online Master of Business Administration (MBA) program with a specialization in healthcare management includes general management along with accounting and marketing strategies. Typical foundational courses in an online MBA program in healthcare management include legal and ethical issues in healthcare. An MBA graduate in healthcare management will be ready to improve patient care from a business perspective at the departmental or organizational level.

What is the protection of private patient information?

The protection of private patient information is one of the most important ethical and legal issues in the field of healthcare. Conversations between a physician and a patient are strictly confidential, as is information about an individual’s medical condition. Specific provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA, define exactly what information can be released and to whom.

Can terminally ill patients have their own wishes?

Terminally ill patients may have specific wishes about the way they want their lives to end. Families may struggle with the decision to end life support for a loved one. Healthcare practitioners and clinical leaders need to be prepared to handle end-of-life issues as well as problems encountered in dealing with elderly patients who may not be able to make rational decisions on their own.

What is the right to refuse treatment?

Competent patients have a right to refuse treatment. This concept is supported not only by the ethical principle of autonomy but also by U.S. statutes, regulations and case law. Competent adults can refuse care even if the care would likely save or prolong the patient’s life. 1 As Mahowald notes, “Respect for patient autonomy trumps beneficence and nonmaleficence.” 2 In this case, the FP did what he could. He fully explained his understanding of the situation, the benefits of obtaining assessment and treatment and the risks of refusal. He sought reasons for the patient’s refusal and had an open discussion using beneficent persuasion to determine if the patient might reframe his attitude and agree to the referral.

What is tension between autonomy and beneficence?

In the current case, the patient out-and-out refused care while, in the other case, the patient influenced the physician to modify his recommendation for hospitalization and convinced him to treat her as an outpatient. The cases are also similar in that good, objective documentation by the physician gave a sufficiently clear picture of what happened and allowed the malpractice allegations to be dismissed.

Did the FP repeat urinalysis?

The FP asked if the patient had seen the urologist. The patient said no. The FP did a repeat urinalysis at this May visit, which again showed trace blood. The physician called the patient and urged him to follow up with a urologist. The patient declared that he would not go to see a urologist.

What is a psychologist's role in a restricted caregiver?

Psychologists may also advocate for policy changes at hospitals or other institutions and at the local, state, or national levels to recognize the needs of all caregivers and care recipients. Diminished Capacity and Proxy Consent.

What is Investor Protection Trust?

For information resources related to financial exploitation, the Investor Protection Trust has resources for providers and caregivers to detect elder investment fraud and financial exploitation as part of its Elder Investment Fraud and Financial Exploitation Prevention Program.

What is HIPAA in healthcare?

This section offers information about legal and ethical issues and some approaches to supporting the caregiver dealing with such issues. The Health Information Portability Authorization Act (HIPAA) defines the standards for protecting personal health information (PHI) when it is transmitted.

How can a psychologist help a caregiver?

Psychologists who are cognizant of the enormous strain such restrictions can impose at critical times of severe or life-threatening illness can help caregivers by understanding their legal status or finding administrators or hospital lawyers who do, and by advocating for the importance of mutual social support to patient and caregiver alike. They can provide important support for a restricted caregiver in such a circumstance.

What are the issues that affect end of life care?

Issues of privacy, informed consent, access to hospitalized or residential care patients, access to medical records or inclusion in conferences with healthcare staff, competency and decision making about care , especially end-of-life care may lead to complex, ethical conflicts or concerns when treating family caregivers. This section offers information about legal and ethical issues and some approaches to supporting the caregiver dealing with such issues.

How many continuing education credits are there for psychologists?

Four (4) Continuing Education credits are now available to psychologists who read this handbook and take the online book-based exam.

What is visitation privilege?

Visitation privileges if restricted to next-of-kin or “family”, as defined by the institution or a state uses a restrictive definition of marriage. Discussions with doctors or other medical staff. Participation in care coordination discussions restricted to “family.”. End-of-life or other critical decision-making about the patient’s care.

Why is medicine a self-regulated profession?

Medicine has a long tradition of self-regulation, based on physicians’ enduring commitment to safeguard the welfare of patients and the trust of the public. The obligation to report incompetent or unethical conduct that may put patients at risk is recognized in both the ethical standards of the profession and in law and physicians should be able ...

Why report a colleague who is incompetent?

Reporting a colleague who is incompetent or who engages in unethical behavior is intended not only to protect patients , but also to help ensure that colleagues receive appropriate assistance from a physician health program or other service to be able to practice safely and ethically.

What are ethical dilemmas in nursing?

One of the problems with ethical dilemmas nursing is that not everyone agrees as to what is “unethical.”. Some healthcare providers, for example, don’t see a problem with giving lethal doses of pain killers or 100% oxygen (which is also lethal) to patients not expected to recover.

Why do nurses have ethical dilemmas?

Some nurses keep running into ethical dilemmas because, quite frankly, they are in the wrong work environment. •Abide by the “first do no harm” principle. Whatever you and your colleagues do cannot violate that principle. •Ask for advice from seniors, supervisors, fellow nurses, and, if necessary, from lawyers.

Why do nurses burn out?

Most nurses burn out due to many ethical burdens that are, for the most part, unfairly placed on them. Some of the other areas fraught with ethical complexities include: •Treatment of HIV patients, especially in advanced stages.

What is the best defense to ethical dilemmas?

Although there is great risk in bravely and aggressively dealing with ethical dilemmas, experts agreed that the best defense is a well-orchestrated, cautious, but proactive offense.

Do nurses have to comply with ethical regulations?

Telling nurses that they need to comply with ethical breach laws and regulations sounds easy enough, but in the real world, ethical dilemmas nursing compliance is fill with complications and personal risks.

Patient Privacy and Confidentiality

Transmission of Diseases

• The key ethical principles involved in this case are justice and nonmaleficence. Justice calls for all patients to be treated fairly and to be able to expect that their private medical information will be held in confidence. A breach of patient confidentiality goes against a physician’s pledge in the Hippocratic Oath that “what I may see or hear in...

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Relationships

End-Of-Life Issues

• The protection of private patient information is one of the most important ethical and legal issues in the field of healthcare. Conversations between a physician and a patient are strictly confidential, as is information about an individual’s medical condition. Specific provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA...

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Ethical Issues in Healthcare in An Online MBA Program